Metal roof for freight cars



l, lV 1i() June 7, 1927. G. G. GII-PIN ,63 ,2

METAL RooF Fon FREIGHT cms Filed Feb. s. 1922 Patented June 7, 1927.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE. y

GARTI-I Gr. GILPIN, OF RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO P. H. MURPHY COMPANY, OF NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METAL ROOF FOR FREIGHT CARS.

Application led February 3, 1922. Serial No. 533,840.

. This invention relates to improvements in freight cars and more particularly to metal roofs for freight cars.

ARoofs of -metal are replacing the wooden or wood and metal roofs for freight cars and itis an object of this invention toprovide a roof of metal plates or sheet-s lso constructed as to be self supporting, without the'necessity of carlines, and of sufficient 4strength to support the load to which car roofs are normally subjected. Another object of this invention is `to-so construct a metal roof that the condensation on vthe inner side of the roof sheets caused by the lteinperature being unequal on opposite sides of thesheets will be reduced to a minimum by Ventilating the roofin such a manner that thetemperature will be nearly equal ,on both sides.

`Whiethe preferred form of this invention is illustrated upon the accompanying sheet of drawing, yet it is to be understood that minor detail changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. y

A In the drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a portion o f Aa freight vcar, illustrating this improv-ed roof.

Fig. 2 is a view in section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

F ig. 3 is an enlargedk detail view in sec-v tion taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, with parts shown in perspective. Y

Figs., a and 5 yare ksimilar views taken on the lines le-4 and` 55 respectively of Fig; 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating a modified form of ventilated opening.

.In the embodiment of this invention, as illustrated, the roof is composed of a number of metal sheets l which overlap at one edge the adjacent sheet with the sheets eX- tending continuously across the car having their' ends resting upon and secured to the side plates. rlhe side plates 2 are illustrated as angle irons and the roof sheets are shown of a conventional form -in that they are provided with a flat portion 3 at the ridge or longitudinal center which is higher than the side plates so that the sheets slope downward on each side thereof. y

The roof sheets are preferably pressed from similar rectangular plates of metal with parallel ribspressed from the body thereof near the opposite edges. The bends in all of the plates are alike for the slope from the ridge to the sides sothatbefore the ribs are pressed the edge of one sheet Would overlap the adjacent edge of the other in perfect contact throughout. The ribs 4: and

5 near the opposite edges of each sheet are pressed from opposite sides of the sheet. The ribs are preferably U-shaped and of the same width. The ribs 4 near one edge are pressed inward from the top of the sheet and decrease in depth from the flattenedv portion at the ridge until they merge into the plane of the sheet just before the sheet rests on the side plates and this edge is naturally yoverlapped by the adjacent sheet. The ribs 5 along the opposite side of this sheet are pressed upward from the underside 'an equal height at each end and decrease in height towardsthe ridge until they merge into the plane of the sheet about half way from the side plate a-nd the flattened portion at the ridge.

As the ribs are pressed from the bodyofV thev sheets adjacent the transverse edges there will be a flange on the outer side 0f each rib .in the plane of the sheet, and as the sheet is formed from the .rectangular plate and the ribs are parallel to each other and .to the original edges of the plate, the flanges on the outer edges will vary in width in accordance with `the depth or height of the Aribs t and 5 and therefore the sheet will have the overlapping edge flanges 6 narrowing in width towards the ends andthe overlapped edge flanges 7 Widening t0- wards the edges, as shown in full and dotted lines of Fig. l.

The ends 8 of the sheets preferably extend beyond the side plates and are bent down therefrom, as shown, to form a Weather proof joint. The tops of the upward pressed ribs are also bent down to the side of the car to 'form a baffle 9 vlout allow the passage of air therethrough. When the sheets are placed on the car with the upstanding ribs of one overlapping the down pressed rib of the adjacent Asheet the .two ribs form a continuous passage l0 from one side of the car to the other' between the sheets and the sheet-s are secured to Veach other by a line of rivets on each side of the respective ribs lll To equalize the temperature throughout the underside oi the roof without weakening the roof structure a plurality of verticali apertures are provided inthe side walls of the ribs and preferably in the wall furthest away from the body ot the sheet. These ventilating apertures may be circular openings 1l punched in the side walls, as shown in Figs. l and 3, or may' be formed by slitting the metal oithe rib parallel to the body of the sheet and then pressing the metal above the slit inward, as shown in F ig. 6, which latter opening l2 does not detract as much from the strength ot the wall of the rib.

In practice the line or plane along the base of the U in the direction of its greatest dimension will lie parallel to the same line or plane of the adjacent rib on the opposite side of the sheet and since, when the sheets are overlapped and secured together, the adjacent ribs lie over each other the air passage l() from the ends will be approximately constant until past the inner end ot the upper ribs and then increase in size in accordance with the depth of the under rib.

rlhe sweating of the metal'root sheets is caused by the atmosphere in the car being of'higher or lower temperature than the sheets and the Condensation drops down upon the lading. By this construction an air passage is formed at the adjacent edges of the sheets from side to side of the car allowing free circulation in the outside atmosphere and the Ventilating openings in the walls or" this passage allow circulation of the atmosphere between the interior and exterior of the car through these passagesand thereby equalizes the temperature nearest the roof sheets on each side so that sweating will be reduced to a minimum. The ribs ot one sheet being a. continuation of the ribs ot the -'jacent sheet take the place of carlines and he flanges extending outward from each rib provide means for securing the bodies of the two adjacent sheets to each other on each side ol the ribs and thereby not only insuring registration of the two ribs of the opposite sheets at all times, but also adds to the strength and rigidity of the roof structure as a whole.

What I claim is:

l. A roof sheet formed from a rectangular blank of metal having parallel ribs therein adjacent the opposite edges extending from opposite sides of the sheet, the ribs adjacent one edge extending from the ends of the sheet and merging into the plane or" the sheet intermediate the ends and ridge or center line, and having a flange extending exteriorily` of the ribs lying in the plane of the sheet.

2. A metal root1 formed from a rectangular blank of metal having parallel ribs therein adjacent the opposite edges Vextending from opposite surfaces of the sheet, the ribs adjacent one edge ol the sheet extending from the ridge or center line and merging into the plane of the sheet adjacent the ends of the sheet, and having a flange extending exteriorily of the ribs lying in the plane of the sheet.

3. A roof sheet formed from a rectangular blank of metal having parallel ribs therein adjacent the opposite edges extending from opposite sides or the sheet, the ribs adjacent one edge extending `from the ends Vof the sheet and merging into the plane ofzthe sheet intermediate the ends and ridge Lor center line, the ribs adjacent the opposite edge of the sheet extending from the opposite side of thel sheet in one directionrand Vfrom the ridge or center line and merging into the plane of the sheet adjacent the endsthereof in the other direction, each, rib having a flange extending exteriorly thereof lying in the plane of the sheet.

t. A roof sheet formed from a rectangular blank of metal having parallel ribs therein adjacent the opposite Iedges extending from opposite sides of the sheet, the ribs adjacent one edge extending from the ends of the sheet and merging into the plane oi. the sheet intermediate the ends and ridge or center line, and having a flange extending exteriorly of the ribs lying in the plane of the sheet, said flanges decreasing in width in proportion to the amount of metal in the rib pressed away fromthe sheet.

5. A roof sheet formed from a rectangular blank of metal having parallel ribs therein adjacent the opposite edges extending from opposite sides of the sheet, the ribs adjacent` one edge extending from the ends of the sheet and merging into the plane of the sheet intermediate the ends and ridge Vor center line, the ribs adjacent the opposite edge of the sheet extending from the opposite side of the sheet in one direction and from the ridge or center line and merging into the plane of the sheet adjacent the ends thereof` in the other direction, the bottom of the rib or ribs on one side of the sheet lying in planes parallel to the plane of the bottom of the rib or ribs on the opposite sideof the seet and adjacent the opposite edges of the s eet.

6. In a metal car roof, a plurality of roof sheets .extending from side to side, each sheet having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacent sheet and 0parallel ribs in each sheet extending from opposite sides of the sheet, and merging` into the plane of their' respective sheets, the ribs on the upper side of the overlap increasing in height towards and open at the car sides and the ribs on the underside decreasing in height from the center to the car sides.

7. In a metaly car roof, a plurality of roof sheets extending from side to side, each sheet having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacent sheet and parallel ribs in each sheet extending from opposite sides of the sheet, andI merging into the plane 0f their respective sheets, the ribs on the upper side of the f overlap increasing in height towards and open at the car sides and the ribs Ou the underside decreasing in height from the center to the car sides, a side of the under rib provided With apertures opening into the interior of the car.

8. In a metal car roof, a plurality of roof sheets extending from side to side, each sheet having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacent sheet and. parallel ribs in each Sheet extending from opposite sides of the sheet, and merging into the plane of their respective sheets, the ribs on the upper side of the overlap increasing in height towards the car sides and the ribs on the underside decreasing in height from the center to the car sides. 9. In a metal car roof7 a plurality of roof sheets extending from side to side, each sheet having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacent sheet and parallel ribs in each sheet extending from opposite sides 0f the sheet, and merging into the plane of their respective sheets, the ribs on the upper side of the overlap increasing in height towards the car sides and the ribs on the underside decreasing in height from the center to the car sides, a side of the under rib provided With apertures opening into the interior of the car.

GARTH G. GILPIN. 

